Tips on Maintaining Your Roots

How To Manage Your Roots

We're excited to present this article by colorist Rita Hazan. It's from one of our favorite sites, Daily Makeover!

I am not a big fan of roots or the "rooty look." I get the whole ombre effect, but that's for if you're in your early 20s, otherwise it's aging and makes you look unmaintained and too busy to care for yourself. Not a very glamorous look!

Now, if you do color your hair, 4-8 weeks is an appropriate time to wait in between. I'd rather clients have bad roots than try to use at home color or go to someone new for a quick root touch up—those usually lead to hair color catastrophes.

For more tips, keep reading.

If you are busy, ask your colorist to do something that's more realistic for your lifestyle. A few highlights around your hairline and crown are easy to maintain and won't show roots as easily as a full head of color. Also, stay within 2-3 shades of your natural color, so it grows out better and you don't have a distinct line of roots.

You could also use a vegetable dye that washes out and doesn't grow out, so it never looks like you have roots. But this only works for darker hair, as it's a stain that has no peroxide and only deposits color to give you darker hair.

No time to go to the salon? Here's a few tricks you can do at-home to temporarily hide your roots: